Patois, dictons … début de la lettre E

Don Levesque, Special to The County
3 years ago

Y a faite beau pi y a faite chaud pi moué j’ai rien a chialler la tu. Well, des fois qu’y faisais trop chaud pour même s’assir su’ l’ perron et surtous pas pour aller prendre une marche.

Mais, a part de tça, j’ai rien a chialler la tu. Well, ont avais besoin d’la pluie. L’lawn étais pas mal jaune pi nos fleurs onvais la mine basse pas mal des fois.

Mais, a part de tça, j’aiu rien a chialler la tu. Y a faite beau pi chaud pi j’aime mieux ça qu’ l’hiver. L’hiver j’me cabane en cause du frette pi l’été j’me cabane en cause d’ la challeur. 

Mais, a part de tça, j’ai rien a chialler la tu.

Voici le début de la lettre E.

Ébouriflé – messy hair, uncombed

écartant – a place easy to get lost in

écarté – lost

échappé – literally: dropped; speak out of turn, speak too soon

écharpier d’la laine – cord raw wool, get the dirt out

échaudé – burnt, as in a fire; tired

écornifleu – nosey person

écourtichoné – wearing a very short skirt

écrevisse literally: crayfish; long-legged or long-armed person

écrit s’a glaceliterally: written on the ice; forget about it!, you don’t owe me anything

éffarouché – a little too excited; jittery

él’vé a coup d’botteliterally: raised by kicking; rough childhood

éligné – off to a good start

elle est agrémenté a toute éreinte – she’s very beautiful, she’s very well dressed

elle est pour ach’terliterally: she’s about to purchase; about to give birth

embaclé – burden with problems

empâté – not too intelligent

empéster la baratteliterally: stink like an old churn; bad body odor, smell of old booze

en familleliterally: in family; pregnant

enfant d’coco – brat, misbehaving child

enfant d’coeurliterally: child of the heart; altar server

enfler ‘a têteliterally: inflate the head; overly praise

enlêve toué pas!literally: don’t levitate; don’t get excited!

en offense – stupid, ignorant

envoyer une chiqueliterally: send a chaw of tobacco; verbal insult, lie

en parlant d’la bête, ont y oué la têteliterally: speaking of the beast, we see its head; speak of the devil!

ente chien et loupliterally: between dog and wolf; between a rock and a hard place

en têté – stubborn, hard-headed

en ‘tit pépéreliterally: in little grandfather; angry, have a lot of  something

Don Levesque is a Grand Isle native who worked in community journalism for almost 35 years. He was the publisher and editor of the St. John Valley Times for 15 years prior to retiring in 2010. He wrote a weekly newspaper column, called Mon 5¢, in the Valley Times for more than 20 years. He has been inducted into the Maine Journalism Hall of Fame and the Maine Franco-American Hall of Fame.